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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, December 22nd 2024 - 18:32 UTC

Stories for January 2018

  • Tuesday, January 16th 2018 - 09:34 UTC

    Economic activity in Brazil expands for third month running

    Brazil’s GDP likely grew 1% last year, snapping a two-year period of contraction as slow inflation and record low interest rates propped up consumer spending.

    Economic activity in Brazil expanded for a third straight month in November, the longest stretch of gains since 2014, suggesting strong momentum at the end of the year. The central bank’s economic activity index rose 0.49% from October after seasonal adjustments

  • Tuesday, January 16th 2018 - 09:32 UTC

    Francis in Chile: modest enthusiasm for a Laitn American country, and protest groups

    Francis was greeted by President Michelle Bachelet and a band played while the two walked on a red carpet as night began to fall.

    Pope Francis flew in to Chile's capital Monday evening for a visit expected to be met with protests over sexual abuse by priests and confronted by many Chileans deeply skeptical about the Roman Catholic Church. It's the pope's first visit to Chile, a nation of 17 million people since taking the reins of the church in 2013.

  • Tuesday, January 16th 2018 - 09:27 UTC

    Fifteen years of success for Airbus; backlog of 7.265 aircraft at the end of 2017

    With this year’s performance Airbus has steadily built on deliveries year on year – with 15 consecutive years of production increase.

    Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft deliveries in 2017 were up for the 15th year in a row, reaching a new company record of 718 aircraft delivered to 85 customers. Deliveries were more than 4% higher than the previous record of 688 set in 2016. The 2017 total comprises: 558 single aisle A320 Family (of which 181 were A320neo – an increase of 166% over 2016); 67 A330s; 78 A350 XWBs (up by nearly 60% from 2016) and 15 A380s. Furthermore, to cap this resounding annual production achievement, Airbus achieved 1,109 net orders from 44 customers. At the end of 2017 Airbus’ overall backlog stood at 7,265 aircraft valued at US$1.059 trillion at list prices.

  • Tuesday, January 16th 2018 - 09:19 UTC

    Global tourist arrivals up 7% in 2017, strongest result in seven years forecasted to continue in 2018

    2017 was characterized by sustained growth in many destinations and a firm recovery in those that suffered decreases in previous years.

    International tourist arrivals grew by a remarkable 7% in 2017 to reach a total of 1,322 million, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. This strong momentum is expected to continue in 2018 at a rate of 4%-5%.

  • Monday, January 15th 2018 - 21:08 UTC

    Venezuelan rebels killed in operative against Oscar Pérez

    Oscar Pérez led a group of rebels of the Venezuelan armed forces since last year, when he flew over Caracas in a helicopter of the Bolivarian police intelligence firing on the interior ministry

    An operation started at dawn on Monday in El Junquito, Caracas left 2 police and an undetermined number of dead rebels, the government announced. From his social networks, Oscar Perez, bloody and with detonations in the background, repeatedly reported on video that although he and his team had already surrendered, they did not stop receiving shots, missiles and grenades in the house where they were hiding.

  • Monday, January 15th 2018 - 10:54 UTC

    US Tourism Partners apologizes for President Trump's derogatory remarks

    “The United States of America, will remain to be a great country, a welcoming country, and a beautifully diverse melting pot of a country”.

    Whether travelers are visiting the United States from a “shithole country” or from Norway, the US is welcoming tourists and immigrants with open arms. Juergen Steinmetz, the chairman of the Hawaii (USA), Brussels (Belgium), Seychelles, and Bali (Indonesia)-based International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP), a leading global travel and tourism organization, responded to US President’s Donald Trump’s “shithole country” remark when referring to an immigration issue in the United States.

  • Monday, January 15th 2018 - 10:43 UTC

    “Carnival Triumph” fails CDC sanitation inspection, for the first time ever

    Deficiencies identified included poorly maintained or soiled backflow preventers on potable water lines; two bathing pools with water levels below the required level

    The cruise ship that earned the “poop cruise” moniker in 2013 has failed her sanitation inspection for the first time ever. In a report completed in November and released earlier this week, inspectors with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) gave the Carnival Triumph a score of 78 out of 100, well below the required 86-point margin for a passing grade. It is the first time she has ever failed an inspection, according to two decades of CDC records, and the first time since 2009 that her score fell below 90 points.

  • Monday, January 15th 2018 - 10:39 UTC

    Investigator of murdered Maltese journalist Caruana Galizia fears for his life

    Jonathan Ferris is seeking full police protection amid concerns he could be targeted after looking into her claims against top political figures.

    A former anti-corruption investigator in Malta has told BBC Newsnight he fears for his life after looking into allegations made by murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Jonathan Ferris is seeking full police protection amid concerns he could be targeted after looking into her claims against top political figures.

  • Monday, January 15th 2018 - 10:35 UTC

    British scientists join Chile's Future Congress to discuss humankind challenges

    Experts from different areas of knowledge discuss the challenges that humankind will be facing in the future

    Twelve prominent British figures representing different areas of science, including economics, marine conservation and regenerative medicine, will be present the Future Congress between Monday January 15 and in Santiago and several Chilean regions.

  • Monday, January 15th 2018 - 10:33 UTC

    Brazil forecasts 110m tons of soybeans and 25m tons of corn in 2017/18 harvest

    Yields are now seen at 3,156 kg/ha, up from 3,123 kg/ha in December, but below the record of 3,364 kg/ha in 2016-17, when nearly perfect weather helped crops.

    Brazilian official crop agency Conab has raised its crop estimates for soybeans and corn in 2017-18, as improved weather boosts yields and planted areas are revised higher.
    Conab said in a monthly report that the current soybean crop, which was already planted and is under development, will reach 110.44 million tons, up from 109.18 million tons in December but still below the record of 114.08 million tons in 2016-17.